Just got back from Mike Daisey's one-man show about Steve Jobs and Apple, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" at the Seattle Repertory Theatre (my first time to the venue). Thanks to my buddy Sage for the ticket! (And even though I do have a black mock turtleneck and blue jeans, I avoided wearing them to tonight's (April 26) performance.)

Though there was almost nothing new to me in the historical content of the two-hour show, it was well-done and the alternation of past and present and general tone kept my interest throughout. It was trenchant prophetic critique by a self-proclaimed "fanboy"—yet not preachy—of what is happening in Shenzhen at places like Foxconn. He takes exclusive aim at Apple, though by implication, the blood is also on everyone else's hands who depends on Chinese labor for their manufacturing.

Just got my green MoviePeg stand for iPhone 4... One week delivery from the UK! http://movie-peg.com

The Mac App Store looks like it will simplify getting and maintaining software (just as we have seen it do in the iOS ecosystem).
I've downloaded and recommend, if you can use them:

• Twitter (free) 
• Courier (reduced to $4.99 from $19.99)

In the wake of yesterday's WWDC keynote introducing iPhone 4 and iOS 4, these are the features I think I will most look forward to in a future iPad revision:

1. Retina display

2. Camera

3. More application RAM. 256MB seems positively anemic.

Because newer is not completely better, here is a short list of things I miss (and things I don’t) about various Apple laptops I’ve used since 1995:

PowerBook 5300cs (1995–98)

• the internal magneto-optical drive from Fujitsu that I had, which felt (and still feels) seriously futuristic
• paying nearly $500 for a 16GB RAM module
• the flaming battery recall
• SCSI
• the lap-singing heat

 

PowerBook G3 (Lombard) (1999–2002)



• the snail-being-fried-by-a-Pentium-II-processor ads
• the black color and sleek lines
• SCSI 
• the lap-singing heat

 

PowerBook G4 15” (Titanium) (2002–2005)



• the minimal bezel around the screen; the integration of the iSight camera has made every bezel since seem unnecessarily wide
• the lap-singing heat
• the hinge design, which invariably cracked after a few years of use
• the trim paint job that flaked off

 

PowerBook G4 12” (Aluminum) (2005–2007)



• the compact footprint, so satisfying to tote around (the lighter MacBook Air, by contrast, feels too thin)
• the lap-singing heat

 

PowerBook G4 15” (Aluminum) (2007–2010)



• two Firewire ports (400 and 800)
• ExpressCard slot; seriously, I still don’t get why this was ditched in favor of a card reader in the Unibodies
• the lap-singing heat
• 3GB RAM limit

 

Surveying this crowd, it’s clear to me that the 12” was my past favorite. But I also have to say that my 2010 MacBook Pro Unibody is the best portable computer I have ever used, except for the fact that it doesn't have a true expansion slot and skimps on Firewire ports.



In my never-ending quest for useful and well-designed input devices, I recently snapped up a deal at Fry’s ($39) for Microsoft’s Wireless Desktop 3000 keyboard and mouse set.

I’ve been using it for a little over a week at work with an identically colored black-with-white trim Dell LCD connected to my MacBook Pro, and I think it’ll be my main set at work for the time being.

Pluses:

• One USB transmitter/receiver dongle for both keyboard and mouse (standard for sets, I know, but if you’ve ever mixed USB-based wireless mice and keyboards it’s a little inconvenient to have two separate dongles, especially when ports are at a premium).
• The USB RF-based approach automatically means it is more responsive than Bluetooth, which is characterized by an annoying latency for almost all input devices I’ve tried.
• An abundance of (too many?) configurable keys; I like that the Aero Flip 3D button is automatically mapped by the drivers to OS X’s Exposé “All windows” F9 keyboard shortcut)
• The full-sized mouse uses the newer and supposedly better BlueTrack optical technology
• The battery indicator LED (upper right corner of the keyboard and apparently on top of the mouse)
• Relatively compact profile (if size weren’t a consideration, I’m sure I’d find the Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 more comfortable)

Minuses:

• The keycaps use decals, which will surely rub off in time.
• Above said configurable keys are flat and harder to depress (similar to the function keys of the very compact Arc Keyboard).
• Construction looks and feels cheap.

If you’re on a Mac, you’ll definitely want to download the latest drivers.

p.s. checking out this keyboard for possible use with a future iPad.

A quick note to share my positive experience with Clearwire 4G WiMax service in the 98144.

I picked up a Clear Modem Series-G on Friday night at a kiosk at Northgate Mall and was up and running right away and experiencing (at home) about 3 Mbps down, which is only about a sixth of the Comcast cable connection we have, but boded well for my office where DSL was barely delivering 0.5 Mbps (not a typo!), and the other options we had investigated promised to disappoint and cost a lot.

Brought it in and set it all up this morning and found that with the antenna next to an east-facing window (vs. north), that we were consistently getting almost 5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up. TEN TIMES faster than DSL for downloads and noticeably faster for uploads as well... for likely less than half the price what we are currently paying!

So, the pluses:

This service makes great sense when you are in an area which is underconnected and has good exposure to 4G towers. We basically are leapfrogging conventional and more expensive connectivity options. Bottom line: much greater bandwidth for less money.

Very simple pricing structure and friendly policies (so far as I can tell; I was quoted a $40 early termination fee--the cost of one month of service--for the standard two year contract).

The minor issues:

Since the Clear modem is in gateway mode and I am using an AirPort Extreme (Late 2009) router, I end up with the less-than-desirable double NAT situation when I have a guest network turned on. I will have to play with this a little more; I may end up using an older router to share a "public-on-my-LAN" IP to guests.

It's too bad that Clearwire won't send a rep out to a location so that you can measure signal strength and bandwidth prior to signing up, but I guess that's why they have the 14 day trial period. In my case not an actual hassle since it appears to be working out.

Haven't gotten an iPad, though I did spend a few minutes with one at University Village the afternoon we landed.

My first impressions were largely positive except for the on-screen keyboard, which I expected to be more usable (basically, I can thumb-type in portrait mode, but in landscape mode I'm pretty sure I would have to learn a new wrist posture for typing with any reasonable accuracy—I do have the Bluetooth Apple keyboard which will suffice for entry-heavy uses, but I was really hoping for a more usable experience without it).

I also had an immediate question about how comfortable it would be to hold for longer periods when reading, given its heft (1.5 lbs).

I am not sure either of these factors will change significantly with a second gen model, so it's still an open question if and when we will get one. But I do believe for certain kinds of media consumption and especially when travelling, it will provide the best user experience.

p.s. I was pleased to see the new MacBooks Pro announced the day before I flew back. If only there were a Core i5 option for the 13"... three months, maybe? UPDATE: Ars has the reasons why not.

I've been meaning to update my iPhone recommended app list for a long time. If anything, I've become more conservative about what I keep on my iPhone. So here are three apps that have stood the test of time and consequently live on my home screen since I use them so frequently:

Simplenote. If you take notes, you need this app.

Instapaper. The most humane way to read any web page that is otherwise hard to read on the iPhone's browser. The Pro version is worth it but you can start with the free, ad-supported version.

Things. My to-do manager. Especially compelling for Mac users, since Things iPhone syncs with the Things Mac client. Not cheap, but so useful.

All three of these generally help me be more focused and productive, which is why they are so valuable.